Shaun Tait: “He’s got a great build for a fast bowler”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Shaun Tait, the former Pakistan bowling coach, feels Shaheen Shah Afridi has “got a great build for a fast bowler.”
Afridi is not only tall, but very strong, which allows him to extract extra bounce from the pitch. In addition to this, he also swings the ball both ways and is capable of hitting speeds in excess of 150 kph.
All this, coupled with his natural talent, has helped the 23-year-old become one of the elite and most entertaining pace bowlers in world cricket.
“He’s got a great build for a fast bowler,” Tait told respected journalist Saj Sadiq.
Afridi recently took six wickets in two Tests at an average of 37.33.
He then went on to claim six wickets in three ODIs against Afghanistan at an average of 16.33.
The Pakistan pace spearhead is now involved in the Asia Cup, where he has claimed eight wickets in four matches at an average of 22.87.
The men in green have been in great form throughout the tournament as they demolished Nepal by 238 runs, shared one point apiece with India after their match was rained off, and pummelled Bangladesh by seven wickets. However, they stumbled in their Super Four clash against India as they were beaten by 228 runs.
Pakistan will now be aiming to rebound in their next Super Four match against Sri Lanka on September 14 in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 Asia Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr.
Travelling reserve: Tayyab Tahir